Special Issue "Inhibitors of Melanogenesis Related Processes: Application to Food and Cosmetic Industry"

Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Manickam Sugumaran
Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Blvd, Boston, MA 02125, USA
E-Mail:
Interests: enzymology; post translational modifications; aromatic metabolism; phenolic biochemistry; reactions of quinonoid compounds; invertebrate immunity; insect cuticular sclerotization; phenoloxidase; quinone isomerases; oxidative browning; melanin biosynthesis; catecholic antibiotics

Dear Colleagues,

Melanogenesis occurs ubiquitously in microorganism, plants and all animals. The enzyme tyrosinase also known as phenoloxidase initiates this process by hydroxylating monphenols to o-diphenols and further oxidizing o-diphenols to o-quinones. O-Quinones being unstable, undergo rapid nonenzymatic as well as enzyme catalyzed transformations to eventually produce different kinds of polymeric products. Quinones in general are very reactive and tend to deplete cellular antioxidant pools as well as cause deleterious effects on cellular macromolecules. In plants, such oxidative browning reactions reduce the nutritive values thereby helping the plant to cope up with infections and invasions. Oxidative browning certainly reduces the consume ability and hence their market value. The melanosis observed in crustaceans similarly reduces the market value of sea food drastically. In arthropods and especially insects, melanogenesis is used for wound healing and defense reactions. Mammals use melanin mostly as skin, coat and eye pigments. Therefore, prevention of oxidative browning of plant products as well as sea food, alteration of skin color, and prevention and/or reduction of melanogenesis in animals has great commercial potentials. This special edition will cover a broad range of phenoloxidase/tyrosinase chemistry, biochemistry of inhibitor and ways to develop new and novel natural and synthetic bioactive compounds against melanogenesis and related process.

Manickam Sugumaran
Guest Editor

Submission

All manuscripts should be submitted to ijms@mdpi.org with a copy to the Guest Editor. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. Papers will be published continuously (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are refereed through a peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. The International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed Open Access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this Open Access journal is 1000 CHF per accepted paper.

• phenoloxidase inhibitors
• tyrosinase inhibitors
• inhibitors of melanogenesis
• skin color lightening

Feature Papers

Type of Paper: Review
Title: An Updated Review of Tyrosinase Inhibitors
Authors: Te-Sheng Chang
Affiliations: Department of Biological Science and Technology, National University of Tainan, 33 sec. 2 Shu-Lin St., Tainan, Taiwan. E-Mail: mozyme2001@yahoo.com.tw
Abstract: Tyrosinase is a multifunctional, glycosylated, and copper-containing oxidase, which catalyzes the first two steps in mammalian melanogenesis and is also responsible for enzymatic browning reactions in damaged fruits during post-harvest handling and processing. Both the hyperpigmentation in human skin and the enzymatic browning in fruits are not desirable. These encourage researchers to seek new potent tyrosinase inhibitors for use in foods and cosmetics. This article overviews new finding of tyrosinase inhibitors from natural and synthetic sources. Their inhibitory strength compared with that of a standard inhibitor, kojic acid, and their inhibitory mechanisms are discussed.
Keywords: Browning; inhibitors; melanogenesis; tyrosinase.

Type of Paper: Article
Title: Effects of Arbutin on Mushroom Tyrosinase and Murine B16-F10 Melanoma Cells
Authors: Isao Kubo *, Kuniyoshi Shimizu and Hiroki Satooka
Affiliations: Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3114, USA; * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-mail: ikubo@berkeley.edu
Abstract: Arbutin, hydroquinone-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, was previously reported to inhibit the oxidation of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine catalyzed by mushroom tyrosinase (EC 1.14.18.1). However, arbutin did not inhibit this enzymic oxidation but was rather easily oxidized as a monophenol substrate when a catalytic amount of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine was added as a cofactor. On the other hand, arbutin significantly inhibited the oxidation of L-tyrosine catalyzed by the same oxidase. When murine B16-F10 melanoma cells were cultured with arbutin, cellular melanin production was suppressed as a dose-dependent manner without affecting cell growth up to 400 μM. This melanogenesis suppression seems to involve intracellular oxidation of arbutin to the corresponding o-quinone. The cytotoxicity of arbutin at higher concentrations was partly reversed by the addition of L-ascorbic acid but not by butylated hydroxytoluene, supporting the intracellular oxidation mechanism.

Regular Papers

Type of Paper: Review
Title: Quasi-drugs Developed in Japan for the Prevention or Treatment of Hyperpigmentary Disorders
Authors: Hideya Ando and Masamitsu Ichihashi
Affiliations: Skin Aging and Photo-Aging Research Center, Doshisha University, Kizugawa, Kyoto 619-0225, Japan
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-mail: hando@mail.doshisha.ac.jp
Abstract: The excess production of melanin and its abnormal distribution can cause irregular hyperpigmentation of the skin, such as melasma and age spots. To date, various quasi-drugs that prevent or improve hyperpigmentary disorders have been developed and officially approved by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan. Many of these can lead to the inhibition of tyrosinase activity, for example, the competitive or non-competitive inhibition of its catalytic activity, the inhibition of its maturation, and the acceleration of its degradation. In this review, we categorize the quasi-drugs developed in Japan for the prevention and/or treatment of hyperpigmentary disorders and discuss the possible perspectives.